Every church faces the ongoing need of finding leaders and funds to keep their ministries running. This isn’t something you can just hope for. You must have a plan in place to keep your church running and growing in a healthy posture. Consider these two steps as you prepare for the future of your church.
The first step should always be prayer. But prayer is not an excuse not to plan, and prayer is not an excuse not to produce. Saturate your ministry in prayer, but don’t stop there. Pray like it all depends on God, and act like it all depends on you.
If you want to multiply and plant sites and churches, you will need more leaders and more funds. Develop a culture of equipping. Move your leaders from being doers to being equippers who equip others who equip others to continue growing the ministry through your leadership pipeline.
When it comes to funds, grow a culture of generosity in your church. Don’t focus on a capital campaign but instead on having generous lifestyles. Normalize the conversation about generosity. Use your offering time to give your church examples of where their funds have been going. Your church members are asked every day to give money to many different organizations and needs. Share with them what God is doing in and through your church.
There are unique opportunities for the church in the generosity mindset in the coming days. The generations coming up are generous, but they often give their money to causes they have a passion for outside the church. Consider how you can share with them how the church is working for God in your community and the world. Also, there will soon be a wealth transfer as the older generation dies off. The newer generations will be looking for what to do with their inheritances. Start a discussion about what their legacy will look like. This doesn’t have to directly be about money, but instead focus on working for God’s Kingdom and not on their own.
Adapted from the New Churches Q&A Podcast Episode 428: Planning for the Future. Click here to listen to more to church planting, multisite, and multiplication tips.